Tusker kills three in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 9: A wild elephant went berserk in northern Malda, killing three persons and wounding many since yesterday. Forest officials, however, heaved a sigh of relief today after forcing the killer pachyderm to return to the jungles of Bihar from where it probably came. Before leaving the area, the elephant killed Harku Sheikh (30), a resident of Chaitola on the Bihar border, Sujit Mondal (13) and Barkat Ali, both residents of Krishnanagar village in Malda’s Chanchal area. While Mondal and Ali died yesterday, Sheikh became the third victim of the pachyderm today. As thousands of residents, who witnessed the foray of the elephant into their villages arguably for the first time in their life, ran after the animal. It got furious and attacked the villagers, besides destroying their houses. The pachyderm created panic yesterday when it entered the Krishnanagar village in Chanchal via Harishchandrapur from Bihar, covering a distance of about 10 km. Since yesterday was polling day, most of the villagers were either on their way to or returning from the polling booths when the elephant entered their village. The 13-year-old-boy came in the way of the elephant and was killed, while Ali was wounded. He later died of his injuries.The annoyed elephant then climbed down to a pond to avoid the villagers, before being chased away by the forest officials and the villagers today. “The situation was beyond control. No body was able to control the elephant. So we decided to drive the elephant out of the village,” the Malda SP, Mr DK Mondal, said. #